Otega Oweh did it again — and he did it to Oklahoma. The former Sooner turned Wildcat broke hearts in Norman once more, drilling a cold-blooded baseline jumper with 0.5 seconds left to lift No. 15 Kentucky past Oklahoma, 85-84, in the SEC tournament opener. Déjà vu? Pretty much. Just last month, Oweh stunned his old team with an off-balance floater in the closing seconds for an 83-82 win. Oklahoma fans haven’t forgotten — and the relentless boos calling him a “traitor” made that clear. But this time, Kentucky fans had to endure an unusual twist before the dramatic finish. What happened?

Tre Johnson’s clutch three in double overtime sealed Texas’ gritty 94-88 win over Texas A&M — but it also pushed Kentucky’s SEC opener into dangerous territory. Wildcat fans were already bracing for a tough tournament run, with 6 teams in the AP Top 25. But then they were left with a different challenge — a brutal tip-off time.

The game against Oklahoma meant a great deal for Mark Pope and the Big Blue Nation. Because it is not only a first SEC Tournament victory for first-year coach Mark Pope, but a first for the program since 2022. It is a game the Wildcats faithful would have hardly liked to miss. But the conference did not make it easy for them.

Matt Jones, host of Kentucky Sports Radio and NFL Preview on ESPN Radio, posted on X, “Missouri-Mississippi State will begin at 7:48 pm Eastern. That means UK-Oklahoma will start at 10:18 pm (at the earliest) Lateeeeeeee Night.”

All the SEC Tournament games were scheduled to be played at Bridgestone Arena, with about a 25-minute gap in between. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were the last of the 4 matchups scheduled for Thursday. Staying up late was one thing, but watching your team’s fate unfold past midnight? That was a different kind of madness — and Kentucky fans were not happy about it.

A 9:30 p.m. tip-off was already tough, but then Kentucky’s tournament opener creeped toward 10:30 p.m. that felt more like overtime before the game even started. It was no longer just about strategy — it was about survival. Players face the brutal task of adjusting their game prep and recovery on the fly, knowing they’ll have less than 24 hours to bounce back. And fans did not take it easy.

Kentucky fans sound off as Mark Pope’s Wildcats face brutal late-night tip-off

This has frustration mounting across the Kentucky fanbase. One fan vented, “Bball has had a scheduling problem all year. Need a researcher to determine how many games lasted the 2 hours TV allots.”

After Texas and Texas A&M’s double-overtime battle, Kentucky vs. Oklahoma was set for a brutal 10:30 PM ET tip-off — an hour later than scheduled. And with teams battling to the wire, there was no guarantee that future games would stay within the 2-hour TV window.

Another fan pointed out, “SEC could have scheduled this better.” One fan said, “‘It’s the SEC’s own fault….no reason why they can’t start the games earlier for this exact reason.” And they have a point.

The first game started at 12 noon between Arkansas and Ole Miss, setting the stage for cascading delays — which happens more often than not. Even the NCAA recognized this issue, moving the 2025 national championship tip-off 30 minutes earlier to 8:50 p.m. ET to avoid late-night finishes. The SEC could have followed suit — but then again, TV slots always seem to win out over common sense.

Another fan vented, “They have to fix this. It’s ridiculous, no east coast game should start after 10.” Fair point — except the game was in Nashville, which sits in the Central time zone. Still, for Kentucky fans, it didn’t matter what the clock says — they’ve been waiting since 2019 to see their team win an SEC Tournament game in Nashville. A late start just made the wait that much harder.

One fan begged, “For the love of God, can we not get these games to start at 11 in the morning?” Sounds simple enough — but TV networks like CBS, ESPN, and TNT have other priorities. Prime-time slots bring in the biggest ratings and, more importantly, the most ad money. Starting games earlier might make sense for fans, but for the networks, it’s all about the bottom line.

Kentucky (22-10), the No. 6 seed in the tournament, won its third straight game and will play fifth-ranked and third-seeded Alabama on Friday night.